"Holy cow!
That's right!" thundered Renny. "Remember the look he
gave Doc the other night? Pure DEATH! He hated Doc bustin'
up what he thought he had goin' with the Countess."

"I know the
feeling..." smiled Ham. "I think anyone who thought they
had a chance with that lady would have felt...well...at least a twinge
of jealousy! There's something irresistible about her..."

"Yeah..." Monk
sighed dreamily. He had forgotten himself enough to agree with
Ham.

"Indubitably!"
murmured Johnny.

"Ummm hmmm..."
Even Long Tom's eyes got soft at the mention of the Countess.

Renny looked at his
companions. Every single one of them had fallen for her...so he
wasn't alone! Even that woman-proof paragon, Doc, had
succumbed. Renny eyed the unconscious form of his bronze
leader. Succumbed to love...and nearly died! Doc had been
right! Women and adventuring just did not mix well; when your mind
was on one...it couldn't be on the other!

"Blast it
all!" Renny eyed the ornate paneling of the door to Doc's
room. He desperately needed to punch out a panel to relieve his
growing frustrations. He marched over to the door and took careful
aim.

"Don't you
DARE!" The Countess opened the door just as he was about to
let fly.

"Oop...uh...YES
MA'AM!" Renny sheepishly lowered his massive fist.

"You'd have broken
your hand, Mr. Renwick. These doors are solid oak -- they are only
carved to resemble panels. However, should I find any of them
damaged, I will come looking for you...and I will not be at all
pleased! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes
Ma'am!" Renny had detected a bit of amusement tempering the
admonition. He quickly decided, however, that no amount of
frustration-release was worth incurring the wrath of this woman.

"Is Clark
here?...Oh...!" Her eyes widened as she peered around Renny
and saw the rest of the group congregated in the room.

At the sound of her
voice, the others had formed a living wall between her and the
bed. Since it was in the shadows, they hoped to prevent her from
noticing its contents. "We're waitin' on him,
Countess." Monk lied glibly. Actually it wasn't really
a lie...they were waiting on Doc...but Monk wouldn't have balked at
telling a bigger whopper than that to achieve whatever ends he wished.

"Oh?
Well...the servants said none of you were about this morning.
Should I have some lunch sent up here? It is rather late in the
afternoon, you know."

"That would be most
kind of you, Ma'am." Renny, noting what his colleagues were
about, escorted her to the head of the stair. "Don't you
worry..." he said, "Your...doors...are perfectly
safe...now!"

She eyed him
curiously. "You're all acting somewhat peculiar. Is
anything wrong?"

"We'll let you
know...after we...uh...talk to Doc!" Renny hoped his smile
was reassuring -- rather than the semi-hysterical that he felt at the
moment. He gave a small sigh of relief when she descended the
stair.

He rejoined his friends
in Doc's room. "Whew...that was close!" he
muttered. "What we do NOT heed right now is a fainting woman
on our hands!"

"Personally,"
drawled Ham, "I think she could probably handle it. She's a
very capable lady -- not really the type to get hysterical on us."

"I hope you're
right," said Johnny. "With Doc out of commission, we're
going to need all the help we can get! She'll have to learn about
this sooner or later."

"Later...I
hope..." Doc's normally powerful voice was but a
whisper.

His aides rushed to his
side. It was evident that he was fighting to maintain his
consciousness. His men knew that an effort like this would only be
made if his subconscious need to impart vital information!

"Brothers...there's
a cave connection in the northeast wall of the tombs beneath the
castle...behind a large marble sarcophagus. It may yet be
open...men trapped in the tunnels...need help..."

"No...there's
gas...don't use any type of explosive...or guns...you'll blow up the
caverns! Take...breathing devices...be
very...careful..." Doc lost his tenuous hold on
consciousness.

"Terrific!"
Ham snorted. "If we do what Doc wants us to, we'll be saving
lives...but leaving him unprotected! What do we do now?"

"Johnny knows what
to do to keep him safe," Long Tom offered, "...and Monk's too
weak to go..."

"I ain't
either!" Monk squeaked! The idea of being left out of some
action was anathema to him.

"You are too -- so
shut up and sit down!" Long Tom snapped. "Besides, Monk,
if Doc needs more blood you've got to be here!" It was a weak
excuse and they all knew it. "Anyway...why don't Ham, Renny
and I see what we can do about Doc's request. Johnny and Monk can
stay here with Doc."

"I will stay with
him also," a soft contralto voice said.

The Countess stood at the
doorway, flanked on either side by serving girls bearing trays of
food. She crossed to the bed, took one look at its contents and
whirled to face Johnny.

"Professor
Littlejohn...what means this?"

"Doc was..."
Johnny hesitated only a moment, "...injured rather badly rescuing
Renny and Long Tom. There was a cave-in in some tunnels, and he
was buried for several hours. He lost a lot of blood and is
very weak. We've given him a transfusion...and he seems to be
recovering somewhat, but he needs to be watched over. Renny and
Long Tom say there's been a hefty price put on his head. There may
be other attempts on his life!"

"Attempts on his
life?! Why only him? Why not all of yo...if you are making
things uncomfortable for whoever is out there!?" The
Countess's eyes snapped fire.

"We don't
know!" Long Tom attempted to soothe her agitation.
"We learned enough -- when we were prisoners -- to know that it has
something to do with a band of would-be revolutionaries trying to get
their hands on a great treasure. Somehow, Doc, alone, stands in
their way so he's the main target at this point. We don't know who
they are or why only Doc stands in their way...or anything about a
treasure!"

The Countess
nodded. "The wealth of my land has, for generations, led our
greedy neighbors to the east to believe we have vast gold hoards at our
disposal. They are after this...legendary...treasure..."

She crossed to the bed
and sat gently upon its edges. She reached down and lifted one of the
quiescent bronze hands to her lips. "For something they
cannot even be sure exists -- they would take you from me..." she
whispered. "You, who are my greatest treasure..."

A great silence descended
on the room. Doc's men eyed each other uncomfortably. They
were adventurers -- men use dot rough and tumble action; fast paced and
hard-hitting! This glimpse of the quiet, timeless, pervading love
-- that their very life-styles denied them -- shook them to their
marrow.

They moved as quietly as
possible to relieve the serving girls of the heavy trays; then fell to
eating as only famished men can eat.

After they finished, they
headed for the equipment cases -- most of which had been brought to
Doc's room. Color-coded boxes yielded numerous self-contained
breathing devices. There were easily enough for the three men who
would venture into the tunnels. The extras they tucked into packs
for the use of anyone they found alive in the gas-filled caverns.
They they dug into the spare-parts box and used bits and pieces to
jury-rig several more of the breathing devices. By the time
they were ready to leave, each carried half a dozen extra devices.

"She's a logical
victim, and I don't want her frightened," Johnny said.
"Besides, I'm not sure she'd believe me any more than Doc
did. I'll keep an eye on her so she's safe...don't worry."

"Hmm...you've got a
point there." Ham smiled as he swung his pack to his
back. "O.K., ol' bones, you take care of the lovers and the
Ape...and we shall see what lurks in the bowels of the earth. If
we can find anybody alive in there, maybe we can learn for sure what
goes on around here!"

* * * * *

The kitchen was agog with
the news that the two serving girls had brought back. Like most
people -- whose lives are rarely touched by excitement -- the members of
the staff at the castle were highly interested and excited by the
strange things that had been happening ever since the American
adventurers had arrived.

They whispered and
muttered over the accumulation of strange events -- embellished by the
stable-boy's anecdotes of the previous evening. They were equally
intrigued when three of the group came through the kitchens asking
directions the the family vaults beneath the castle.

Several of the young men
offered to accompany the three, but were told that the mission was
fairly dangerous and that the extra breathing devices would be needed
for the men they hoped to rescue.

"We will accompany
you as far as the fresh air permits -- and stand ready there to assist
with whomever you bring back," offered one of the the grooms.

This was agreeable to
Renny, Long Tom and Ham, so a sizable group moved off into the tunnels.

They had not seen the two
men who listened at the windows of the kitchen.

"So! The
bronze one is gravely wounded! Perhaps, sir, he will perish of
these wounds, eh?"

"I think so!
It is fairly safe to assume, from what we've just heard, that it was he
who overcame us and took the documents connecting us with this
activity. It's also evident that in the excitement, his aides have
not found the documents. We must retrieve them at all costs!"
snarled the other. "You must decoy the ones who guard Doc
Savage away -- then leave the bronze devil to me! It will be a
pleasure to deal with him -- in my own way!"

A low and very evil laugh
escaped from his lips as the two snuck past the kitchen entrances and
melted into the shadowed halls of the rambling stone edifice.